Right to Privacy

The people of Tyler & Wetzel Counties can be proud of Paden City resident Eric Daugherty for standing up to the town mayor for an egregious use of political power to gather personal information. When an elected official anywhere can demand an NCIC search based on "a complaint", then that same official refuses to explain the "complaint" to the citizen, there is an abuse of power. Citizens have a right of privacy unless they are breaking the law. Period. There was no law being broken so the mayor of Paden City needs to be held to account. Any official that can check on Eric Daugherty can check on you, and blithely say it was because of a non-defined "complaint". With drones soon to be in our skies, and police checkpoints on highways, our fundamental rights are under attack, and stopping it starts with local abuse. Eric Daugherty had the courage to stand up for his rights, and everyone is better for it.